Training pants

ABSTRACT

The disclosed device aims to provide training pants to overload the user&#39;s leg with resistances and as a result increase their muscular force, thereby strengthening the user&#39;s legs, particularly designed for practicing taekwondo or karate, and consist of a belt and heel supports that are adjustable in order to tighten resistance bands that can be joined to the belt at the upper end thereof and to the heel supports at the lower end thereof, characterized in that they have kneepads with loops through which the resistance bands pass that create tension in the flexion angle on the rear part of the knees. The belt defines a surface that is adjustable to the user and has at least a snap-type buckle and it includes a series of ring-shaped holes that are reinforced on the outer edge thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to European patent application 18152038titled “Training Pants” and filed Jan. 17, 2018, which claims priorityto Spanish patent application U201730616 filed May 26, 2017. The subjectmatter of European patent application 18152038 and Spanish patentapplication U201730616 are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates generally to the field of clothing.

BACKGROUND

There are several different types of apparatuses for exercise andsystems that enable an increase in the resistance on the legs of a user,specifically “leg harness” types of apparatuses of variable resistance,which are known because the load on the user's legs is increased, butsaid apparatuses have not been satisfactorily tested for training insports that require constant use of one's legs, such as taekwondo orkarate.

Examples of said apparatuses can be found in the U.S. industrial designDES. 385,385 which, in the design and graphic representation thereof,shows a set of bands incorporated into a pair of pants, wherein thebands are incorporated into the fabric of the pants. However, althoughsaid industrial design adjusts to the legs of the user, said adjustmentof the bands on the legs is dependent on the tension exerted by thebands that continue on the user's torso and, therefore, to obtaintension on the lower extremities (the part of the bands incorporatedinto the pants), it is necessary for there to be tension on the upperpart of the user's body.

On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,754 describes a variableresistance leg harness exercise apparatus that enables the user toperform a series of exercise cycles under an increased load by means ofresistance, increasing the load on the user's legs in order to increasemuscular strength and endurance of the legs. Said apparatus includes abelt, leg accessories, stretchable cords for the belt and footaccessories in order to provide an increased in resistance and withoutdistorting the natural exercise patterns.

However, it has a disadvantage in that the bands do not integrallyadjust to the user's legs, distorting the user's natural center ofgravity due to the position of the bands. Therefore, this apparatus doesnot provide the necessary tension for exercising the legs in exercisessuch as those required for the practice of taekwondo or karate.

Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,760 B1 describes an apparatus to assistthe leg muscles during cycling. Said patent has technical elements thathelp the user's legs stretch during an upstroke and help the legscontract on a downstroke to release the energy for assisting the legs torotate the pedals.

Said device is used to increase the performance of a cyclist duringbicycling or other cycling by increasing the speed performanceobtainable by the cyclist for a given cycle or bicycle.

The invention includes a provision of one or more elastic membersapplied to the legs of the cyclist such that the elastic members willstretch on the downstroke of the pedals to generate energy and contracton the upstroke of the pedals to release the energy for assisting thecyclist's legs to rotate the pedals and in turn the sprocket.

However, in said application there is no evidence that the devicesprovided with bands, regardless of the aim for which they are used, havekneepads to help form the flexion angle on the rear part of the knees.

Other documents from the state of the art are:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,305, which describes an apparatus for augmentingexercise of body muscle(s) comprising one or more articles of wearingapparel employing one or more resistance members.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,760 B1 describes a method and/or device thatincludes elastic members used to assist the legs of the cyclist suchthat the elastic elements will stretch on the downstroke of the pedalsto generate energy and contract on the upstroke of the pedals to releasethe energy for assisting the cyclist's legs to rotate the pedals and inturn the sprocket.

None of the aforementioned devices described in the state of the art hasmeans in the form of kneepads that enable articulation with the aim offavoring and forming the flexion angle in the area of the knees, inaddition to being especially designed for the practice of taekwondo orkarate.

SUMMARY

The disclosed device aims to provide training pants to overload theuser's leg with resistances and as a result increase their muscularforce, thereby strengthening the user's legs, particularly designed forpracticing taekwondo or karate, and consist of a belt and heel supportsthat are adjustable in order to tighten resistance bands that can bejoined to the belt at the upper end thereof and to the heel supports atthe lower end thereof, characterized in that they have kneepads withloops through which the resistance bands pass that create tension in theflexion angle on the rear part of the knees. The belt defines a surfacethat is adjustable to the user and has at least a snap-type buckle andit includes a series of ring-shaped holes that are reinforced on theouter edge thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As a complement to the present description, and for the purpose ofhelping to make the characteristics of the invention more readilyunderstandable, in accordance with a preferred practical exemplaryembodiment thereof, said description is accompanied by a set of drawingsconstituting an integral part of the same, which by way of illustrationand not limitation represent the following.

FIG. 1. Front view of the training pants.

FIG. 2. Rear view of the training pants.

FIG. 3. Front view of the pants with reinforced seams. The pants includefour loops placed on the sides of the ankles.

FIG. 4. Rear view of the pants with double reinforcement of the fabricon the channels of the bands on the part of the legs and calves.

FIG. 5. Perspective view of the adjustable belt with 4 holes.

FIG. 6. Front view of the kneepads.

FIG. 7. Pairs of resistance bands.

FIG. 8. Adjustable heel supports with holes for tightening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to training pants, particularly to pantsthat incorporate elastic bands of varying degrees of resistance, whichallow the user to perform a series of exercises with an increase in theload on the legs of users. Likewise, the training pants allow the userto do a series of exercises, avoiding the distortion of the user'snatural center of gravity or of their movement patterns.

The training pants consist of a belt and heel supports which areadjustable in order to tighten the resistance bands and arecharacterized in that they have kneepads in which 4 loops areintegrated, each one placed on each of the upper and lower ends of therear part of the kneepad, allowing a flexion angle to be formed on therear part of the kneepads and providing resistance when the userexercises their legs.

Therefore, with the aim of overcoming the shortcomings of currenttraining apparatuses and for the purposes of ensuring that thecharacteristics of the apparatus correspond to the requirements of thepractice of taekwondo and karate, the present invention aims to providetraining pants to overload the user's leg with resistances and as aresult increase their muscular force, thereby strengthening the user'slegs. With said increase in muscular force and strength, the user isable to develop an improved technique in their legs, improving theirkicks, thereby becoming more prominent in the majority of the martialarts, such as taekwondo and karate, arts in which quick, agile andstrong movements of the legs are required at the moment of contact.

One advantage of the training pants is that they are made up of a beltand heel supports that are adjustable in order to tighten the resistancebands and, furthermore, the pants are characterized in that they havekneepads that help form the flexion angle in the rear part of the knees.

The training bands have different degrees of resistance, going from 45Nto 90N, depending on the user's experience in the practice of taekwondoor karate, which when multiplied by 4 bands that comprise the trainingpants, provide a total resistance ranging from 180N-200N to 320-360N.

With the force of resistance on the user's legs, the following kickingtechniques can be practiced:

Ap chagi kick: This is a linear and frontal technique in which, by meansof the training pants described in the present invention, the height ofthe back leg is improved with the knee flexed up to the middle of thetorso. Furthermore, it improves the flexion in the supporting leg andthe foot at an angle of 45 to 55 degrees from the attack line.

Bandal chagi kick: The use of the training pants helps improve thissemicircular technique which is initiated from the combat position,raising the back leg with the knee flexed in front at the height of thetorso. It improves the flexion of the base leg and the angle of the footat 90 to 100 degrees from the attack line.

Dollyo chagi kick: This is a circular kick initiated from the combatposition. With the training pants the elevation of the back leg isimproved with the knee flexed at the height of the chest, allowing therotation of the hip 90 degrees forward.

Likewise, in another use thereof, the training pants of interest can beused to practice high-performance sports or for improving one's physicalcondition, specifically for weight loss by burning calories.

Use of the training pants allows the focus to be on muscular strengthand growth specifically in the desired muscle group, avoiding the use ofoxygen and effort in muscle groups the user does not intend to use.Therefore, the quality of the training is improved by only focusing onone muscular group and the physical condition of the user to optimizecompetitive form.

Another advantage of the training pants consists of strengtheningprimary and secondary muscles which one is training. Likewise, tensionis increased or decreased in a short period of time by only having tochange the tension bands.

The training pants aim to improve the neuromuscular response and motorskills for practicing sports that combine speed, agility and force, suchas karate and taekwondo. On the other hand, it allows the user toimprove their coordination by allowing them to be more aware of theirmovement patterns.

In another use, and calibrating the resistances to a lower tension, thetraining pants can be used for therapeutical and rehabilitationpurposes.

Except when indicated otherwise, all of the technical and scientificelements used in this specification have the meaning commonly understoodby a person with average skill in the art to which this inventionbelongs. When this invention is put into practice, methods and materialsmay be used that are similar or equivalent to the ones described in thisspecification.

Throughout the description and claims, the word “comprise” and itsvariants are not intended to exclude other technical characteristics,additions, components or steps. For those skilled in the art, otherobjects, advantages and characteristics of the invention may be deducedfrom both the description and the practical use of the invention.

To achieve the objectives and advantages previously mentioned, thetraining pants comprise:

In reference to the drawings, FIG. (1) shows a pair of training pants(10) according to the invention.

The training pants (10) comprise resistance bands (21, 22, 21′, 22′) fora stable and detachable fastening at the upper end thereof around thebelt or midsection of a user of the training pants (10) and fasteningmeans at the lower end thereof on heel supports (40).

The resistance bands (21, 22, 21′, 22′) are attached at the upper endthereof to the belt and at the lower end thereof to the heel supports(40), passing through loops of the kneepads (30).

The belt (11) defines a surface that is adjustable to the user and hasat least a snap-type buckle (12) that adjusts the belt depending on thesize of the human user (FIG. 5). Likewise, the belt (11) includes aseries of ring-shaped holes that are reinforced on the outer edgethereof (12, 13, 12′, 13′).

Whether or not the belt has more than one buckle will depend on thetension of the resistance bands.

With the aim of being able to be adjusted the user's body, the belt hasat least one buckle, each one of which would comprise a female end (15)and a harpoon-type male end (14) that allows the two ends of the belt tobe fastened.

The ring-shaped holes (12, 13, 12′, 13′) allow the upper ends of theresistance bands (21, 22, 21′, 22′) to be attached to the belt (11) atcoupling points (211, 221, 211′, 221′) (FIG. 5), located on the upperedge thereof. The coupling points (211, 221, 211′, 221′) are introducedin the ring-shaped holes (21, 22, 21′, 22′) and separation of theresistance bands from the belt is prevented due to the tension of theband.

The belt is made of materials that are not harmful to the skin, usingmaterials such as cork, rubber, neoprene, having a thickness of 0.5 mmto 7 mm In another possible embodiment, the fastener can be double andthe belt can have a thickness of 5 cm to 10 cm depending on the strengthof the resistance bands.

In one possible embodiment, the pants (10) can be made of elastane,which is fastened around the waist or midsection of a human user of thetraining pants (10) by means of the belt (11).

The pants (10) have reinforced seams (50) on the front part thereof toprevent the structure from alterations or ruptures. Likewise, on therear part thereof the pants have seams with double reinforcement (60) onthe channels of the legs and calves.

The pants (20) also have kneepads (30, 30′) placed around the kneeswhich guide the tension bands along the user's legs. The material of thekneepads will preferably, but not by way of limitation, be made ofpolyester and other synthetic materials.

Each one of the kneepads (30, 30′) has loops arranged on the lateraledges, in particular the kneepad (30) has two loops, two on the lowerends thereof (32, 34), and another two loops (31, 33) on the upper endsthereof, while the kneepad (30′) has two loops on the lower ends (32′,34′) thereof and two on the upper ends (31′, 33′) thereof through whichthe resistance bands (21, 22, 21′, 22′) are introduced to provide astable fastening to the training pants.

With the aim of facilitating the passing the resistance bands (21, 22,21′, 22′) through the lower (32, 34, 32′, 34′) and upper (31, 33, 31′,33′) loops and avoiding the risk of an early rupture in the useful lifeof the product, the resistance bands are lined with a synthetic materialor fabric that facilitates the path of the bands, providing them withmore protection and a longer duration.

Furthermore, the invention has heel supports (40, 40′) placed around thesides of the ankle. The heel supports are made of a material thatprevents rubbing against the skin and sores as a result.

Said heel supports (40, 40′) have fastening means (41, 42, 41′, 42′)which serve to connect the lower parts of the resistance bands by meansof coupling points (212, 222, 212′, 222′) located on the lower edgethereof.

In one possible embodiment, the fastening means (41, 42, 41′, 42′)provided on the heel supports for fastening the lower ends of theresistance bands (21, 22, 21′, 22′) are eyelets protected by a wall ofneoprene, and in another, less professional embodiment, they may behooks as a gripping means for the heel supports.

The fastening means (41, 42, 41′, 42′) can have metal parts, in the casethat the pants are used for a hobby or personal training, however, inthe case of using the pants for fighting or combat, in order to preventinjury to the heel support, it will not have any metal parts.

The coupling points (211, 221, 211′, 221′) of the resistance bands (21,22, 21′, 22′) are introduced in the fastening means (41, 42, 41′, 42′)of the heel supports and thanks to the tension of the band, separationof the kneepads from the resistance bands is prevented.

On the other hand, the heel supports (40, 40′) have joining ends made ofVelcro® (44, 43) that adjust the lower part of the heel supports of theuser depending on the size of the human user.

The heel supports (40, 40′) have the advantage in that they are easilydetachable from the foot and the user's ankles.

In order to achieve the tension in the pants, the user must put on thepants with the reinforced seams toward the front view. Afterwards, theuser must proceed to place the belt at waist level and adjust the atleast snap-type buckle, stretching the male section to make theconnection with the female section of the buckle.

By joining the female section to the male section of the snap-typebuckle, it must be verified that the belt perfectly couples to the sizeof the human user.

Then, the coupling points are introduced in the ring elements of thebelt. It must be ensured that the coupling points are completelyintroduced in order to enable an ideal training for the user.

Subsequently, the bands attached to the belt are introduced through thefastening means (of the kneepads) and due to the tension of the band,separation of the resistance bands from the kneepads is prevented.

Lastly the lower coupling points of the tension bands are introduced inthe fastening means placed on the upper part of the heel supports.

The heel supports help to tighten the lower ends of the bands.

By joining all of the characterizing parts one may obtain training pantsmade up of a belt and heel supports that are adjustable in order totighten the resistance bands, characterized in that they have kneepadsthat help form the flexion angle in the rear part of the knees.

Furthermore, the training pants allow the user to do a series ofexercises, avoiding the distortion of the user's natural center ofgravity or of their movement patterns.

In order to achieve the proper tension for each user, the experience ofeach user in the sport they are practicing must be considered.

For a first time user, the bands should be used with a resistance forceof 45N to 50N, which when multiplied by 4 bands equals a totalresistance of 180N to 200N, which increases depending on the exercisedone.

For an advanced user, the bands should be used with a resistance forceof 60N to 70N, which when multiplied by 4 bands equals a totalresistance of 240N to 280N, which increases depending on the exercisedone.

For an expert user, the bands should be used with a resistance force of80N to 90N, which when multiplied by 4 bands is a total resistance of320N to 360N, which increases depending on the exercise done.

The kneepads are then placed sewn to the piece of pants, which help formthe flexion angle on the rear part of the knee.

Having thus adequately described the nature of the present invention, aswell as how to put it into practice, it must be noted that, within itsessential nature, the invention may be carried out according to otherembodiments differing in detail from that set out by way of example,which the protection sought would equally cover, provided that thefundamental principle thereof is not altered, changed or modified.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pair of training pants for practicing taekwondoor karate, which consist of a belt and heel supports that are adjustablein order to tighten resistance bands that can be joined to the belt atthe upper end thereof and to the heel supports at the lower end thereof,characterized in that they have kneepads with loops through which theresistance bands pass that create tension in the flexion angle on therear part of the knees.
 2. The training pants, in accordance with claim1, characterized in that the belt includes a series of ring-shaped holeswhich are reinforced on the outer edge thereof, wherein the ringelements enable the fastening of the resistance bands on the upper endsthereof at coupling points.
 3. The training pants, in accordance withclaim 2, wherein the belt is characterized in that it has at least asnap-type buckle, the female section of which couples to a male sectionin order to be able to adjust the training pants to the waist of theuser.
 4. The training pants, in accordance with claim 1, characterizedin that it has kneepads that have loops on the lower ends thereof, andon the upper ends thereof.
 5. The training pants, in accordance withclaim 1, characterized in that the heel supports have fastening meansthat are connected to the lower parts of the tensioning bands atcoupling points located on the lower edge thereof.
 6. The trainingpants, in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the fasteningmeans provided on the heel supports for fastening the lower ends of theresistance bands are eyelets protected by a neoprene wall.
 7. Thetraining pants, in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that theheel supports have joining ends made of Velcro® that adjust the lowerpart of the heel supports of the user depending on the size of the humanuser.
 8. The training pants, in accordance with claim 1, wherein theconstituent material of the pants is elastane, the constituent materialof the belt and heel supports is nylon, and the constituent material ofthe kneepads is polyester.
 9. The training pants, according to any ofthe preceding claims, characterized in that the resistance bands aremade of a synthetic material or fabric to facilitate the path of thebands.
 10. The training pants, according to any the preceding claims,characterized in that the belt has a double fastener, made of syntheticmaterials or different types of rubber and with a thickness between 5 cmand 10 cm.
 11. The training pants, according to any of the precedingclaims, characterized in that the pants have reinforced seams on thefront part thereof to prevent the structure from suffering alterationsor ruptures, while on the rear part thereof the pants have doublyreinforced seams on the channels of the legs and calves.